Barking up the right tree

If it is possible to be a big fan of a deceased Russian satirical author then I am one and proud of it. I love Bulgakov's stuff and this is up there with the best of his work.

This is short novel is a satire on life in Bolshevik Russia and human nature, but also a work of comic fiction. A brief synopsis would sum it up as an eminent doctor conducts an experiment in which he transplants a deceased criminal's pituitary gland and testes into the body of a stray dog he has taken in. The dog transforms over the following weeks into a manlike creature. However, instead of being a loyal, obedient dog-like person, he is an unpleasant, conniving bastard who causes no end of misery for anyone who crosses his path.

Roy McMillan reads it with verve and aplomb and it gives it the voice this story so richly deserves.

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4 people found this helpful

Weirdly Wonderful High Satire

What made the experience of listening to Bulgakov: A Dog's Heart the most enjoyable?

A wonderfully writen work from a unusual perspective

What other book might you compare Bulgakov: A Dog's Heart to, and why?

I think that the fact that it's not like anything else - even by the same author - is what makes it so interesting.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

Lots of scenes, lots to like...but the operation scene will stay with you.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, very gripping

Any additional comments?

Nearer to works by Phillip K Dick than anything else by Bulgakov but the setting, satire and the danger this man was placing himself in by writing it, really set it apart.

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2 people found this helpful

Brilliant Bulgakov

This is a perfect introduction to Bulgakov. The dialogue between the professor, the boorish dog man and the professor's colleagues is so rich and amusing that I wound it back several times just to enjoy it all over again. The sub plot detailing the professor's feud with the tenant's association is laugh out loud hilarious. On top of that the professor is one of the most compelling characters I have read in fiction for a long time.

Roy McMillan is a wonderful narrator. The voices of the professor and the dog are a joy to listen to.

If you are curious about Bulgakov I would thoroughly recommend this. If you enjoy satire and/ or have an interest in Soviet history then this is essential listening.

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6 people found this helpful

Hilarious and topical

After nearly a century since being conceived this exhilarating novel has lost no actuality whatsoever- on the contrary, given the vain ambitions of biotech nowadays this original remains astounding in its analysis of the practicalities of Murphy’s law in the context of synthetic biology. Moreover, by the way of a satirical example, this book underlines the integrity of human nature in the way it is stored in the human brain. Given that the author’s primary profession was medicine, this is not quite an uneducated guess.

Finally, great praise for Roy Macmillan, who yet again managed to provide a most expressive and yet subtly differentiated rendering of the many different characters involved in this turbulent drama!

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2 people found this helpful

A masterpiece

Darkly satirical and allegorical I agree with other commentators that this feels very modern even though it was written about hundred years ago . Written against the backdrop of transforming Russia it asks questions about what determines our human characters . I think if you are at all interested in humanities , politics or enjoyed animal farm for example you will like this . The narration brought out all the characters and made it easy listening .

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Unbearably irritating narration

Silly voices made this book impossible to enjoy.

Chose this after seeing many good reviews for it, but found the story pointless and dull.

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